1LT Promotion Question [Archive]

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Sassy05

1 February 2006, 17:17

I know 2LTs get promoted to 1LT after 18 months in, but is that from the day you start active duty (check into OBC or wherever else you are working) or from your commissioning date (ok West Point's commissioning date)?

Sammy Sandbag

1 February 2006, 17:21

18 months time on active duty (whenever you sign in at OBC, counting GBR as well) or 24 months from your commission date (whichever occurs first.)

Aries

1 February 2006, 17:34

so is that really true that the commissioning date (officially) for everyone is on or after the USMA commission date?

Skull6

1 February 2006, 17:41

Yes. I got promoted before my peers at USAFA because DA wanted to track me in the USMA year group that year. & I was told at OBC that WP cadets were promoted before other commissioning sources that year, with few exceptions--& that this was "the way things were" for all other years as well.

Associate289

1 February 2006, 17:52

so is that really true that the commissioning date (officially) for everyone is on or after the USMA commission date?

depends really. The day I was commissioned is also the day I started drilling with the Guard (officially). Most active duty kids I commissioned with, either didnt start OBC or Gold Bar until a few weeks after, so their clock didnt start ticking until then.

armynurseboy

1 February 2006, 19:26

so is that really true that the commissioning date (officially) for everyone is on or after the USMA commission date?

This is just one way that Big Army uses to ensure Pointees are more special than the rest of us....

Girex

1 February 2006, 21:21

i recall a cadence... because their all a bunch of queers going combat engineers, oh there are no airborne rangers at westpoint.

Aries

1 February 2006, 23:31

except for my roommate... his ranger buddy down the hall.. teh 7 in the class after me.. the 3 or 4 with combat scrolls and mustard stains that reported with class of 07...

HerdROTC

2 February 2006, 10:13

our new SFC. has a mustard stain. First time I've actually seen one of those in real life. Pretty impressive

Sassy05

2 February 2006, 10:19

Alright dumb question time... what is a mustard stain?

Girex

2 February 2006, 11:15

a stain from mustard?

GIJared

2 February 2006, 11:24

A mustard stain is a yellow star on your jump wings signifying a combat jump.

armynurseboy

2 February 2006, 11:38

Skull6

2 February 2006, 11:51

Oh, to be a fly on the wall in a WP Mil History class when THIS happens (referring to the cadets having more combat exp than the instructors)!

"No Sir. I did NOT go down that way, IIRC."

Aries

2 February 2006, 11:58

never got to experience that one, as well as wasnt lucky enough to be one of the Beast squad leaders who had a combat scroll in his squad.. but I did get to witness my roommate telling a QM CPT that what he was telling us was wrong.

Un4given

2 February 2006, 12:02

Old article, good shit... http://www.hqusareur.army.mil/htmlinks/ ... 004-01.htm (http://www.hqusareur.army.mil/htmlinks/Press_Releases/2004/Mar2004/23Mar2004-01.htm)

It kinda gives you a rush just to read it if you've been to airborne school... Really makes you wanna go balls-to-the-wall and get some mustard!

elric42me2

2 February 2006, 12:25

Sweet article, thanks for the post.

And the previous comments about cadets with more combat experience than the cadre... Thats definately true in my BN. We have something like a dozen cadets who've been to either Iraq or Afghanistan as junior soldiers/NCOs and now they're training to be officers. Of these cadets, one has the best deal I've ever heard of: Active Duty Green to Gold. He's still getting paid as if on Active Duty and drawing GI Bill at the same time to get his B.S. and commission.

I274

2 February 2006, 12:48

Nothing against those guys who were in the 173d, but that was typical airborne mafia b.s.

You can’t compare that jump to the one in Granada (RANGERS) or Panama (RANGERS and 82d) when bullets were flying.

I’m sure the troopers in the 173d were tense, but there weren’t any tracers coming at them. It was a hollywood jump. The main purpose of the jump was to deliver the infantry to the theater quick (and other politics).

The funny part (in retrospect) was the LZ - it was so wet it was almost a swamp. Everyone got soaked and caked in mud.

Everytime we get involved in something hot, the airborne wants to jump in to prove their worth again. If there is a legitimate objective (like Panama and Granada) then it might be worth considering; but just to jump in …

I don’t want to get into a discussion about airborne doctrine …you’ll have a chance to study it and write about it in school (Basic, Captains Course, CGSC, etc) if you want to do a paper -- there are numerous articles and papers… something for your professional development.

But bottom line, those lucky suckers got a star on their wings.

Sassy05

2 February 2006, 13:47

A retired Colonel that works at my college got his star for his combat jump where he landed in a satallite dish and broke his leg.

Un4given

2 February 2006, 14:19

Well until you get into a real combat jump (i.e. grenada) the jumpers probably feel that's the shit. Then if they do something like grenada then they will probably feel their iraq jump wasn't shit.

But then someone like me... A 5-jump-chump, shit sir, anything would kick ass for me! :)

I274

2 February 2006, 14:49

Well hopefully you’ll get to RANGER school and break your cherry with a few extra; and instead of just landing and going for a beer, you’ll be on an extended patrol.

Anytime you do a jump -- especially at night -- is a great adrenaline rush.

Un4given

2 February 2006, 15:15

I think I wanna do Ranger school... So maybe I'll get that extended patrol. :)

Besides, trucks needa get dropped in too. ;)

Aries

2 February 2006, 15:15

yall done sucking each others cocks? can we get back to the topic at hand.

armynurseboy

2 February 2006, 18:12

dbuntz

2 February 2006, 19:20

No, Aries...consider this thread hijacked...lol

While I was in Afghanistan, we worked with the 2/503rd and I heard these stories first hand. The rapid descent and then jump was nuttier than anything I've heard before in the Army.

We all know or have seen how paratroopers are supposed to exit the aircraft - most of these guys crawled out, and that makes for some really ugly, hairy exits.

The mud was so bad that guys weren't sure if they really had their weapons in hand when they finally got to the hardball.

The strategic reason for doing this jump if you remember is that our "great" NATO ally - Turkey wouldn't let troops through the country to conduct a northern offensive...so in order to pressure the Iraqi Army, we had to put forces there and this is how we did it. At the time, the Peshmurga wouldn't attack until they actually saw US troops on the ground, so it had a dual-fold purpose in the end.

Still makes for some amazing stories if you get to talk to one of these guys.

spaceCADETzoom

2 February 2006, 19:37

except for my roommate... his ranger buddy down the hall.. teh 7 in the class after me.. the 3 or 4 with combat scrolls and mustard stains that reported with class of 07...

Yeah, with the amount of combat we've seen in the last years, it's entirely probable that there are cadets who have more combat experience than their instructors.

But everyone forgets that cadre is coming from the operational Army too... While some cadets can be prior enlisted straight from Iraq, cadre (with teh way the world is now) is coming straight from the same places. Thier time now under cadet command is simply another place thyre sent after a long line. All of our cadre were fresh from Iraq and/or Afghanistan right before coming here. It's hard to trump combat experience of an SF captain who had his arrival here delayed because he was still in Afghanistan. Or an E-8 Cav scout right from iraq, etc, etc. It doesn't even have to be recent...we have a Ranger from panama...

dbuntz

2 February 2006, 19:51

spacecadet is right.

Out of our six cadre...only one - the PMS, does not have any recent operational experience. All the rest of us are recently returned combat vets.

We're due to get a new PMS this summer - and he has been to Afghanistan in the past two years, so by next fall - every one of the cadre will have been recent vets.

And this holds true in many other schools now too.

Un4given

2 February 2006, 21:50

Heh, I think all of our cadre have been to the 'box recently... But our PMS, I'm not sure. He doesn't have that right-should badge... Never mentioned anything... Hmmmm...

Wes

3 February 2006, 02:39

FSU's current PMS has made sure that he would never receive hostile fire pay. He loves politics and foosball. Oh and he plays with his sabre in his office. (Yes, play as in he swings it around as in a sword fight by himself. He was caught by at least one cadet.)

Cerebroden

3 February 2006, 04:13

Current FSU PMS is a fucking tool, and I've told him that to his face.
Well if you consider telling a full bird that he isn't fit to command a JROT unit. Of course this was after my wife and friends had commissioned and moved on and I was no longer an active PR.

Cerebroden

3 February 2006, 04:14

Edit* Double Post

Wes

3 February 2006, 06:27

Whoa... he is still a LTC right? Don't tell me the desktop ranger made full bird.

Cerebroden

3 February 2006, 07:53

sorry I guess I'm wrong. The wife has corrected me. I look back on that conversation and laugh. He told me what he thought of me, I told him what I thought of him. We seperated without incident and he used to skowl at me when I passed him on the bike and I used to laugh. Oh well, all that much more reason for me to get my commission and tell him to go fuck himself one more time. Mwahahaha